Automatically closing window ventilators



April 3, 1962 v. ABADJIEFF AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING WINDOW VENTILATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2, 1959 INVENTOR IVAN V. ABADJIEFF ATTORNEY A w w 4 M 4 w nc m \|||||l A t a 1: a

I f /W I Illl I A 5 A. i2 2 a? 2 w 24 4 Mm; mMw4WWW5 A iLV April 3, 1962 l. v. ABADJIEFF AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING wmnow VENTILATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1959 ATTORNEY United States atent l'llce 3,027,824 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 3,027,824 AUTOMATICALLY CLOSHIG WINDOW VENTILATORS Ivan V. Abadjielf, 20 Bergin Lane, Worcester, Mass. Filed Feb. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 790,493 10 Claims. (Cl. 98-95) This invention relates to a new and improved automatically actuated window ventilator, the principal object of the invention residing in the provision of a relatively simple apparatus in the form of a panel which is used in combination with a window particularly for instance of the double-hung sash type in which said panel is normally located on its bottom edge on theinclined ledge and extending outwardly at an angle, with both sashes being raised and providing a passage for air circulation therepast, and including means associated with the sash and normally maintaining the panel in said inclined position, with the lower edge thereof extending inwardly and normally held and abutted against the parting strip; said panel being loosely mounted in said position and capable of a combined sliding and pivotal action under the influence of an exterior breeze, so as to slide down the inclined ledge while the'upper end of the panel is being swingably moved inwardly to come to rest against the parting strip or the lower edge of the lower sash which is of course in raised position, to the end that rain, sleet, snow, etc., will be effectively blocked from entering the closed window; and this without the attention of anyone to adjust the ventilator to close it or to close the window in any way in the event of sudden snow or rainstorms which may come up during the absence of the home owner or during the night when the homeowner is asleep.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a device of the class described which is very simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which is fool-proof in action and provides an automatic safety device of the nature described.

Other objects and advantages of the invention include certain provisions, modifications and variations of the device as will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional view through a window opening illustrating the device in its two positions of use;

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation of the panel;

FIG. 3 is an edge View thereof;

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation illustrating a modi fication;

FIG. 5 is the side View illustrating a modification of FIG. 4' as it would appear installed on a window-sill;

FIG. 6 shows a further modification;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through a window illustrat ing a still further modification;

FIG. 8 is a view in elevation, looking in the direction of arrow 8 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section on line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view'similar to FIG. 7 and illustrating a further modification;

FIG. 11 is a view in elevation, looking in the direction of arrow 11 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 7 illustrating a still further modification; and

FIG. 13 is a view in elevation, partly in section, looking in the direction of arrow 13 in FIG. 12.

In illustrating the present invention, the same is shown in FIG. 1 as applied to a conventional double-hung window, although the invention is capable of application to other types also. The interior sill of this window is normally horizontal as indicated at 10 and the exterior ledge is slanted outwardly to the exterior of the building as illustrated by the reference numeral 12. The frame itself provides the usual stile groove at 14 for a lower sash 16, this channel 14 being formed by a parting strip 18. There is also the usual groove 20 for the upper sash The outer groove 20 is defined by an exterior strip In general, the subject matter of the present invention comprises a panel which is generally indicated at 26 in FIG. 1. This panel is provided with a stop means to be described by which it is prevented from extending out any farther to the left in FIG. 1 as shown in full lines therein, with the lower end thereof resting against the parting strip 18. It is emphasized that in this position, the device is merely loosely mounted and is capable of being easily and quickly removed or re-inserted, and it does not interfere with the windows.

The normal light draft is indicated by the arrow 30 but in the event of a sudden storm, the wind will tend to blow inwardly of the window. Under such a condition, the panel 26 will then be blown substantially in an inward direction, but of course it is stopped at the bottom by the parting strip. There is nothing to stop the inward motion of panel 26 at the top portion thereof however, and therefore it will tend to pivot inwardly and at the same time the action invariably is to cause the lower edge of the panel to slide down the incline of the exterior ledge 12 as is shown in dotted line position of the panel 26 in FIG. 1.

This action automatically closes the ventilator from the open position in solid lines in FIG. 1 to the closed position shown in dotted lines therein, and therefore this panel comprises a completely automatic self-closing ventilator of the type described, preventing the entry of snow, wind and rain, etc., in the absence of anyone nearby to close the window in the event of a sudden storm or in the event that the home-owner is sleeping and is not awakened by the storm.

As an illustration of the detailed construction of the panel, reference is hereby made for instance to FIGS. 2 and 3. The panel 26 is shown as having a relatively wide lower edge 32 which is conveniently turned up as shown in FIG. 3 as at 34, and this may be provided with apertures 36 to let out condensation, etc.

The top edge of the panel which is indicated at 38 is a little narrower than the lower edge, and midway of the side edges thereof, the panel is provided with cut-away portions or the like which form a pair of shoulders 40.

These shoulders are important to the device and provide the stops which hold the panel in the solid line open position of FIG. 1 by resting against the edges of the strip indicated at 24 in FIG. 1. The ends of the lower edge 32 abut the parting strips 18, one at each side of the frame. However, these elements do not interfere with the action of the device in any way, the top edge 38 of the panel coming to rest against the lower sash 16 as shown in dotted line position in FIG. 1, or the shoulders 49 abutting the parting strips in order to completely close the opening of the window.

If desired, there may be provided adjustable means as shown by the panels 42 provided with suitable slots 44 and fasteners such as wing nuts 46 in order to provide for adjusting the height of shoulders 40 relative to the top edge 38. The position of these adjustable pieces 42 determines the angle of inclination of the panel 26 when it is placed in the solid line position of FIG. 1, and by this adjustment the opening allowing for ventilation as indicated by arrow 30 may be made smaller or larger.

In addition, many other variations are possible including that as shown in FIG. 6 for instance wherein the panel at 47, with suitable slots 48 and fasteners at 50, etc. may be suitably adjusted for compensating for window width variations, etc., and in order to bring the 3 shoulders 40 into proper alignment with the strips 24 and 18 as above stated. 7

Other variations are possible for instance, the panel which is indicated at -2 in FIG. 4 may be similar to that at 26 but with the addition of rollers 56 suitably arranged so as to make the panel ride down the ledge at 12 in the event that the sill is rough from paint, etc. In this connection, furthermore, if desired, adjustable slides or tracks 58 maybe mounted on ledge 12 by means of fasteners 60 and adjustable screws or cam-type fasteners 62. In this case, the rollers '56 will cause the panel 52 to slide down the incline easier and faster in the event that it is desired to provide for such anti-friction means.

Referring for instance to the construction as illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the window construction itself is the same as previously shown and described for instance in FIG. 1, but in these figures the panel which is generally indicated by the reference numeral 70 is provided with adjustable edge pins or other elements 72, 72, there being one at each opposite edge arranged for lateral adjustment in order to provide a fairly accurate fit of the panel edges between the parts of the outer grooves 20. This may be done in various ways but one simple and convenient construction is to provide a struck-up portion 74 in FIG. 9, screw-thread the interior portion thereof, and form the member 72 as a headed screw fastener as clearly shown in FIG. 8. By this means, the screws may be adjusted in-and-out and therefore a fairly exact fit may be obtained by contact of the screws with the bottoms of the grooves 20, 20 so that the panel 70 will not fall out while still acting as above described to shut the window automatically. Thus the screws 72 act in place of shoulders 40, as previously described, in case the shoulders are not contained within the grooves.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, another modification is possible where the head at 76 corresponding to that at 32 above described at the lower edge of panel 78 which is similar to that at 26, may be cut away as indicatedat '80, thus leaving the wings indicated at 82 locating the panel 78 for proper clearance in the grooves. The cuts at 80" may be made on a bevel in order to provide for easy entry of the wings 82 into the respective grooves 20, 20.

Another modification of the device is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 wherein the construction may be the same as above described for instance with respect to FIGS. 1 through 4 inclusive, but in this case there is provided a pin, screw or roll indicated at 86, 86, there being one of these at each side of the window in the bottom of the groove 20, and these extend into the area of the side portions of the panel 26, so 'as to better position the panel without interfering with its action. The pins 86 may be installed permanently and when the panel 26 is in open position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 12, it does not touch the pin but when a gust of wind as above described closes the panel, the panel then wedges against the pin as seen in dotted lines in FIG. 12 and it will therefore clearly remain in this closed position until deliberately manually actuated to be pulled up and re-set in open position. In other words, the ventilating panel is easily closed as before by the gust of wind, but it cannot be opened again under any except human agency. The pins 86 may be quite small and also they can be made removable so that they can be taken out to drop the upper sash 22 when this is necessary for any particular reason.

This device may be made of any convenient material such as plywood, sheet metal, etc., but if made of clear plastic will not interfere with the view through the window.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. The combination of an automatic self-closing window ventilator and a window frame including upper and lower sashes, the usual parting strips, outer strips forming grooves for the upper sash, and a downwardly and outwardly sloping ledge, said ventilator comprising a panel having a top edge, and a bottom edge for disposition on the sloping window ledge, shoulders at each side of the panel, said shoulders including upper edge terminal portions adapted to abut the outer strips of the window frame, the panel being loosely held generally in the area between the parting strips and the outer strips and being capable of motion therein from a position wherein the top edge of the panel extends relatively outwardly with respect to the bottom edge, the panel having a combined sliding and pivotal motion on the sloping Window ledge under influence of a gust of wind wherein the top edge of the panel abuts the inner window sash and the lower edge of the panel slides down the sloping window ledge to a position where it is stopped by the outer strips, in effect closing the opening provided by the open window, said shoulders having a width in combination with the panel greater than the distance between the said outer strips.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the shoulders include lower edge terminal portions having edges above the bottom edge of the panel.

3. The combination of claim 1 including means on the shoulders extending outwardly from the panel in coplanar relationship therewith to engage and penetrate the window frame.

4. The combination of a window frame construction including stile grooves and a downwardly and outwardly sloping ledge, with a device comprising "a rectangular panel having top, side and bottom edges, extensions on said panel along the opposite side edges thereof, said extensions extending only part way of the height of the panel starting at the bottom edge and terminating short of the top edge thereof, the extension being dimensioned to position the panel loosely in the stile groove of the window frame between the parting strips thereof and the outer stile-forming strips, with the lower edge of the panel slidingly mounted on the sloping ledge of the frame.

5. The device of claim 4 including anti-friction means at the lower edge of said panel.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said anti-friction means comprises rollers.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein said anti-friction means comprises a rolled edge.

8. The device of claim 5 including track members secured to said ledge and said panel being slidably mounted on the track member.

9. The device of claim 5 including track members secured to said ledge and said panel being slidably mounted on the track member, and adjustable means for said track to adjust the inclination thereof relative to the horizontal.

10. The combination of a window frame construction including stile grooves and a downwardly and outwardly sloping ledge, with a window ventilator panel comprising a generally flat plane member, projections at edges thereof, said projections extending along said edges and providing for positioning of said panel in the grooves of the frame, and means mounted in said grooves at the lower edges thereof exteriorly of said panel and abutting said panel in closed position thereof, said means providing against motion of said panel by a gust of Wind in either direction when the panel is in closed position, said'a M '1,

means including pins mounted in the bottom portions of the stile grooves in the window-frame and projecting toward each other,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,252,770 Birkes Ian. 8, 1918 1,408,441 Caldwell Mar. 7, 1922 2,004,444 Liptrott June 11, 1935 2,520,762 Gillen Aug. 29, 1950 

